Sargent-Disc, a Cast & Crew company, presents
End-to-End Digital Payroll Workflow
part of the Digital Production Office®
Powering paperless production
Welcome to Sargent Disc’s End-to-End Digital Payroll Workflow, the first complete digital production payroll service available in the UK and Ireland entertainment industry.
At Sargent-Disc, we understand the production process. We understand the pressure on production accountants to deliver accurate results, on time, every time. We understand there is no room for error.
Never has this been truer than now. Since the film and television industry and its workforce began to feel the full impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve seen a marked increase in uptake of our Digital Production Office® tools.
Pre-Covid, our customers told us that efficiency and sustainability were their main reasons for going paperless. Now that Covid-19 has changed the landscape of film and TV production, it’s no surprise that the need for reliable contactless systems has increased, with production teams looking to minimise the handling of documentation and ensure a safer working environment for crew, artists and other employees.
Sargent-Disc’s End-to-End Digital Payroll Workflow is a comprehensive payroll solution that covers every step of the payroll process. It enables safe, efficient and sustainable working practises for production accountants, wherever they’re based in the post Covid-workplace. Easy-to-use, the system can be tailored to meet the needs of different types and sizes of production.
Our End-to-End Digital Payroll Workflow consists of three steps powered by CrewStart™, Payroll and Payslip, applications within our Digital Production Office®. Here’s how it works.
1.CrewStart™
CrewStart™ enables you to fully automate the essential processing of start forms, contracts, and timesheets. Not only does it save you time, it also ensures consistent accuracy and legibility, streamlining a previously labour intensive process that is open to human error. Progress is tracked through bespoke approval chains that can be adapted to suit your needs. Compatible with mobile, tablet and computer devices, the CrewStart™ application keeps the information you need at your fingertips, wherever you are.
Significantly reduce your admin, sign contracts securely and generate fully auditable reports with this indispensable tool, which offers the following features:
Onboarding: Use existing start paperwork and contracts to simplify the on-boarding process for crew and artists. Complete, sign and approve start forms and contracts digitally, whilst keeping data secure thanks to multi-factor authentication, digital certification and watermarking. Crew need only complete their data once; afterwards it is securely stored and can be re-used for subsequent productions.
Hot Costs: Easily track crew time and attendance to ensure accurate payments. Hot costs are monitored in real time, providing accounts teams with a constantly up-to-date view of labour spend, even when operating under complex union rules such as the Pact/Bectu Feature Film Agreement.
Timesheets: Batch-generate timesheets at the end of each week and automatically send with specific department approval chains for completion, signing and approval. As soon as a batch is created, the payroll worksheet is available and ready – saving days of work previously spent on manually breaking out timesheets.
2. Payroll
On completion and approval, start paperwork can be submitted securely to Sargent-Disc’s skilled and experienced Payroll Team via CrewStart™. You are freed up to divert valuable resources back into your core business, whilst we handle all aspects of your payroll needs.
Processing: Payroll worksheets can be sent for processing to our Payroll Team via our secure online client portal, avoiding the need to send confidential information by email. All communications between your production, crew members and Sargent-Disc are supported by secure messaging, to help ensure data privacy.
Payments: Our Payroll Team assists with payment of cast, crew and other employees in a range of global currencies. Our service fully complies with the latest payroll legislation and regulation including a fully managed e-filing facility for all Real Time Information (RTI) submissions in the UK and PAYE Modernisation in Ireland.
Disbursements: We can also manage disbursements on behalf of your production, including payment of tax and national insurance or PRSI, liaising with the Foreign Entertainers Unit (FEU) and also union dues or pension contributions, including the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), Directors Guild of America (DGA), Directors Guild of Canada (DGC), Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Writers Guild of America (WGA).
Pensions: Our Payroll application also offers an Auto Enrolment Pensions Solution which can integrate your pension and payroll service with a range of pension providers offering qualifying Auto Enrolment schemes. A wide range of roles and contracts are covered, including short term, weekly and monthly. The service automates many of the time-consuming processes usually completed by an employer.
Tracking: Our native Payroll application for iOS and Android includes a host of features that increase efficiency, including with a single sign on, 24/7 access to payroll information and management reports and secure, intuitive threaded messaging – showing all messages from both parties. Track activity and monitor vital payroll information for audit purposes at every stage, wherever you are based.
3. Payslips
With just one log-in, our native Payslip application for iOS and Android enables employees, freelancers and their agents to access their payslips online and view full payment histories wherever they are in the world. Payslips, Auto Enrolment and other notices are securely published and notifications sent to users inviting them to view new notices by securely logging-in. Users can access their full archive of payslips and notices anytime, anywhere.
Find out more about the UK and Ireland’s first End-to-End Digital Payroll Workflow, by contacting Sargent-Disc now on marketing@sargent-disc.com.
End-to-End Digital Payroll Workflow is available using CrewStart™, Payroll and Payslip applications, part of Sargent Disc’s Digital Production Office® suite.
Switch to Digital Production Office® today to:
- Work safely with reduced contact during Covid-19
- Work remotely whether from home, office or on location
- Work efficiently, reducing costs and effort
- Work accurately to ensure correct, legible data
- Work quickly by routing tasks to the right people, at the right time
- Work securely with only authorised personnel able to access confidential data
- Work sustainably in a paperless office, reducing your production’s carbon footprint
- Work on the go using our range of applications available on iOS and Android, compatible with all mobiles, tablets and computers: CrewStart™, Digital Purchase Order, Payroll, Payscales, Payslip, Production Card, PSL+. Switch effortlessly between applications with AppSwitcher.
Find out more about Sargent Disc’s Digital Production Office® suite, by visiting www.digitalproductionoffice.com.
